If Heads Were Tails
by LuciferIX
Summary: An alternate ending to my story "Reaching for the Stars". Pearlshipping, Ash/Dawn, AaDL


Okay, some of you are probably wondering what my reasoning behind making an alternate ending to my most recent story is. After reading some of the latest reviews it reminded me on how unsatisfied I was with Dawn's ending. I also remembered the way that I kept Ash a more-or-less blank slate until the final chapter, so changing only that one chapter I could turn around the entire story without it looking as if one was an alternate ending over another. I can only assume that the real reasons that people knew the outcome of the original would be my past history as an author and the story's description. So why not show the other side of the coin? This alternate ending is literally meant to replace the last chapter of "Reaching for the Stars" so it starts off the same way. And I apologize for the length, with the change in shippings a few more topics needed to be covered in a single chapter. I usually try to keep them much shorter than this to make it easier for my readers.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Pokémon or any of the related material. All names, places, and characters are trademarked property of Satoshi Tajiri and Pokémon Co. All rights reserved.

* * *

After leaving Dawn and Ash alone to enjoy the rest of the festival May had set out in a rather similar fashion of watching the different stalls that were available to everyone. Normally many of them would have caught her interest for quite some time but the thoughts of Ash never left her mind. The only thing that she was truly thankful for at that point in time was that she still had Eevee with her.

With night having completely fallen by this point she had retired into the forest a little ways just to clear her head. Not too far off of the path she found a small crystal clear pond with a clearing around it. Near the center of it was situated a small wooden shrine set on a large rock, probably the reason that the festival was located around this area in the first place.

Sitting down on the grass May couldn't resist laying back and watching as the sky continued to fill up with stars. Eevee, as per her usual, was right next to her mother, curled up on her stomach resting her eyes as May's breathing slowly raised her up and down. That in combination with her soothing voice would have made the little Pokémon fall asleep right then and there but there was still plenty to do that night considering the preparations needed for tomorrow morning.

"I can't help but wonder if one of them has popped the question yet Eevee," May said as she looked to the sky. "Even if it hurts to think about it the fact still remains that I am truly jealous of Dawn at this point. Ash is a great guy and any girl would have been lucky to call him their own. In my years traveling I've never met another person like him, he's definitely one-of-a-kind. Although he may not act like it all the time he is one of the smartest people that I know and it truly comes to shine when he's around Pokémon, not just battling them but almost every aspect of it he has become a true master of." Giving off a large sigh as she continued to reminisce about the boy who had captured her heart May couldn't help but have him continuously come to mind.

Unconsciously nodding her head Eevee couldn't help but agree with her. She may not have that good of an eye for humans but even as a Pokémon she knew that there was something different about him. Possibly due to his relationship with Pikachu.

"But then again why would he choose me of all people? Sure I'm a good coordinator and everything but I'm clumsy at times, soft-spoken, and not truly all that brave. He's been the one to save me on several accounts and I probably come off as nothing but a burden to him. The whole time that we were together all I can remember is him helping me. Everything from contests, to how to treat my Pokémon, consoling me after a loss, and even having to risk his own life to save mine after I did something stupid. I mean that must be at least part of the reason why we parted ways after Kanto. Sure I wanted to prove that I could do everything on my own as well but part of me didn't care if I proved anything as long as I could stay by his side."

Looking back towards the sky the large crescent moon caught her eye.

"It actually reminds me of a story that my dad used to tell me when I was little. A long time ago a small boy told a girl he liked that one day he would give her the best and biggest gift he could find. After days of thinking about what to actually give her he looked up into the sky and seeing the moon declared that that would be his present. So he found the tallest tree on top of the tallest hill in his village. Climbing to the very top the great disk seemed so close that one could just reach out touch it." As she told the story May unconsciously raised one of her arms and covered the moon with an open hand before closing it into a fist, as if trying to grab it herself. "Reaching out he tried his hardest to grab what appeared to be right next to him, but no matter how far he stretched his arms he never could quite grasp it. Finally his footing gave way and the small boy tumbled to the bottom, getting hurt quite bad in the process."

During the whole story Eevee couldn't help but watch May as she lay there, hand still outstretched and a few tears making their way to her eyes.

"The little boy tried to obtain the impossible and only got hurt from it. I can't help but feel as though I'm in a similar situation with Ash. The best gift that I could imagine right now would be for him to return my feelings, but he loves Dawn and the more that I try to get close to him the further that I will fall in the end. That's the reason why I need to get away from it all."

"But even though I should be happy for Ash I'm not sure if I can do that. Mom has said that the biggest happiness is in seeing someone you really like stay happy. I keep telling myself this but even then the tears still come. I should be happy for him and at times as they fall I feel as though I'm betraying my own feelings for him."

Wiping the tears from her eyes May picked up Eevee and set her on her usual perch before standing up and dusting herself off.

"But enough with the sad thoughts. How about we go grab some cotton candy before we leave? We can even bring it back here to eat, I don't know what it is about this place but for some reason it just feels peaceful and calming."

"Vee." Nodding her head slightly Eevee couldn't help but feel down as well, no matter how much she loved cotton candy.

Walking back towards the edge of the forest it didn't take long for the two of them to get back to the festival and try and find a cotton candy stall.

* * *

"I love you."

An awkward silence seemed to hang in the air as those three faithful words were said. Ash seemed a little too stunned to speak and the waiting was making Dawn increasingly nervous.

"Ash?" She finally asked, her body trembling slightly as to the thought of why he was so quiet. "It's okay I understand. I know that I shouldn't have brought this up but…"

"No I'm the one who should be sorry Dawn," he interrupted her with a slight laugh while rubbing the back of his head.

"You're sorry?" Those two words burned into her like a hot needle as the realization of what they meant came to her. "No I should be the one who is sorry; I really shouldn't have even brought this up." She quickly said while turning around. She started to feel the tears coming but before she got anywhere his hand gently grabbed her by the wrist.

"No, wait for just a moment more Dawn," he told her in a calm voice. "Guess I wasn't very clear on that. What I meant to say was that it just kinda surprised me to hear you say that. Almost every way that I've imagined it the boy was always the one who confessed his feelings to the girl and not the other way around. So when you suddenly said that out of the blue I really didn't know how to react, and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to respond."

Dawn's heart was fluttering as she felt his soft hands against her skin but his words were sending mixed signals. The calmness that he was displaying didn't show that he was repelled by her confession but the way he was skirting around what she wanted to hear made it sound as if he didn't feel the same.

"But which is it?" The blunette blurted out without thinking. She could feel a small tug on her wrist as she obviously surprised the trainer again. Looking back at him she knew that her eyes were betraying the control that she was trying to exert over her feelings, but she couldn't help it, at that moment she was internally being pulled apart by both possibilities. And if he didn't feel the same way towards her then who did he? Was it May? Or could it even be some other girl that she never met before?

"Well," he started while averting his eyes away from hers. As Ash did this a noticeable blush started to form across the trainer's face and he unconsciously began to lightly scratch his cheek. "If you're talking about whether I feel the same way, that's the hard part. I've never been in this position before so it's not all that easy to just come out and say something. But it looks as though I really don't have much of a choice right now so here is goes."

Every muscle in the coordinator's body tensed up as the reality of finally hearing her answer began to sink in. After a deep Ash looked back at her with what looked to be a bit of a half-smile.

"To be completely honest Dawn I'm not entirely sure if it is love that I feel when I'm around you because I don't know what love actually feels like, but when I'm with you I know that I feel relaxed and happy. There is just something about knowing that you are close by that makes me feel that much stronger, and I know that I wouldn't have made it nearly as far as I did in the Sinnoh League without your support in the stands. For some reason I could always pick out your voice among all the others there. Knowing that you had my back was almost uplifting and it brought me out of more than one slump in my battles. I may not be able to know exactly what I feel and say them out loud like you did but there is one thing that I know, and that is that I want to stay close to you. That feeling has become almost an addiction and it just doesn't feel right without you."

It may not have been the answer that she was hoping for but for some reason it was more than enough for her hearing that. As the first few tears finally started to fall a worried look came to Ash's face.

"That's probably not what you were hoping to hear but…"

He was quickly silenced by Dawn putting her hand over his mouth. It was at that time Ash saw that even though she was crying a big smile was still present on her face.

"I should have guessed that you would say something like that. You really are nothing more than a dense idiot when it comes to things like this."

Pulling her hand off of his mouth Ash tried to at least get a few words in. "Wait a minute what you mean dense…"

But he was cut off again, this time not by her hand but something else entirely. His eyes widened as it took a second to realize what was happening. Dawn had wrapped her arms around his neck, narrowly pushing Pikachu off of his perch, and was pressing her lips up against his. It didn't take long for the pleasurable sensation to relax Ash enough to give in and start to return the action, though he was mostly just going off of Dawn's lead. After a few moments they broke off, both sporting bright red cheeks.

"But even if you are a dense idiot, you're the dense idiot that I fell in love with. And by the sounds of it I don't think that you'll have too many objections to me calling you _my_ dense idiot," she told him with a shy smile.

Once again it took a second for the realization to sink in for Ash. "Wait, when you mean 'your dense idiot' you mean…"

"Guess you can be quick at times," the blunette teased him. "Yes Ash, what I mean if it's okay with you I want to be known as your girlfriend. And in return I would be proud to call the Sinnoh Champion my boyfriend."

If it was even possible Ash's face turned even redder as he mumbled a few incoherent words.

"What was that Ash? I couldn't hear you all that well."

"I guess that would be fine," he stated a little louder this time. "But if you're going to tease me all the time I might not want to give you your gift."

"Gift?" Dawn's spirits started to soar as everything came back to her. In all the tension of the moments before she had completely forgotten about the locket he had bought earlier.

Still bright red he reached into the breast pocket of his kimono to pull out a long light blue velvet case.

Taking the case from him Dawn slowly opened it up. Even if she pretty much knew what it was the sensation of having the case in her hands made her all the more excited to see it. Inside was a pure gold locket and chain surrounded by a combination of small sapphires and diamonds in the shape of snowflakes. In the center was a single contest ribbon of red and green made from a single small ruby and emerald. Dawn could barely hold her own enthusiasm as she took it out and looked it over examining every last detail. What caught her eye on the back though was a beautiful engraving of a Buneary, happily looking up at the viewer.

"I kinda bought it as a thank you for traveling with me all through Sinnoh but there was also something else that was pushing me to buy it. For some reason when I saw it in the window of that store the first thing that came to my mind was that it would look great on you. So this afternoon after the battle I rushed over there to buy it before someone else did. I hope that you like it."

"Oh Ash I love it!" Dawn squealed as she grabbed a hold of his neck again. "Thank you so much!"

Putting the locket on the blunette couldn't help but feel completely ecstatic for the whole situation.

"So how does the locket look? Does it make your girlfriend look pretty?"

Gulping slightly Ash could feel his mouth dry up as he gazed on her. "You look beautiful," he said with what almost sounded as apprehension in his voice.

Dawn's smile faded slightly. "That didn't sound too convincing."

"Honest, you do," he tried to defend himself. "It's just, well it feels weird all of a sudden calling my best friend my girlfriend."

"You'll get used to it," Dawn happily told him while grabbing onto one of his arms and linking it with hers. "Now let's enjoy the rest of the festival, just the two of us and our Pokémon. Maybe it will get you a little more comfortable."

"You know that isn't really helping right now," Ash nervously said.

"What you mean this?" She asked motioning down at their arms. "Well this is just another thing that you'll have to get used to, and right now I don't feel like waiting."

Sighing a bit Ash couldn't help but grin a bit. Being that close to Dawn was an odd feeling of both comfort and discomfort. But as they walked on the discomfort slowly began to fade as Dawn continued to drag him through the crowd.

"_Girlfriend huh?"_ He asked himself. _"I really am going to need to get used to this, but at the same time it doesn't feel all that bad to do so."_

With all the emotions running through the humans it wasn't that hard for the two Pokémon with them to be caught up in the current. But while Buneary was feeling happy for the first time since this morning, Pikachu had mixed feelings about everything that had just transpired. There was no doubt that he too was happy for his trainer in finding a future mate of his own, but now that Pikapi's feelings were confirmed it meant that his trainer would be staying with Dawn as he left the next day with May and Eevee. May had made her decision and with his mate not wanting to leave her trainer's side he had no choice but to follow them, no matter how much it pained him to do so. Pikachu knew that tonight would finally be the time to tell Pikapi everything, or at least everything except the pieces that May wouldn't want Pikapi to know.

"There is just one thing that has been bothering me since the beginning of this trip," Ash said after a few minutes.

"And what's that?"

"May."

Dawn could feel a sharp tinge of jealousy run through her almost as instinct. "What about May?" She asked him as normally as possible.

"I dunno; there's just something about her that has been off these last few days. She just hasn't been her normal self and I'm beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with her. I've been trying to cheer her up here and there so that she could enjoy the vacation as much as we were, but nothing so far has worked."

After hearing that, the blunette breathed a small sigh of relief. Ash was just being Ash and worrying about his friends. Even with him accepting, and in her point of view returning, her feelings Dawn still had to wonder about their other traveling companion. She too saw that there was something off and originally attributed it to her feeling the same way about Ash as she did, but ever since May had left them alone in the festival those thoughts had changed completely. Yet if it wasn't that reason, what was it? Did it have something to do with her leaving tomorrow?

"How about buying her a gift?" Dawn suggested, pushing the thoughts of jealousy aside.

"A gift? Like what?"

"Don't ask me," she shrugged. "You know May far better than I do."

After musing over it for a moment Ash couldn't come up with anything until a small stand caught his eye.

"You know, I think I just found something."

* * *

It was only a few more hours before the festival began to close down and the new couple began to head back to their suite. But to Dawn those few hours felt like a completely different life to her, being that close to Ash and not feeling anxious or worried was almost a dream come true. It didn't take long for Ash to feel comfortable enough with Dawn holding onto his arm or holding hands and it was as his nervousness disappeared that the blunette knew that the rest of the vacation would only get better.

"May we're back!" Ash called as he closed and locked the sliding glass door behind himself. The lights were off but the door to May's room was closed, indicating that she was probably already back as well.

"Looks like she already went to bed," Dawn said with a while flicking on the lights.

"Looks like it." Looking down at the item in his hands Ash felt slightly disappointed. He had asked the person he bought it from to wrap it up before putting it into his pocket. The box wasn't all that big but it was carefully covered in a red paper and tied off with a blue ribbon. "I was hoping to give it to her in person tonight before we got back but we never did meet up with her after she ran off."

"There were just too many people at the festival," Dawn commented. "And without her phone on it was virtually impossible to know where she went off to." Giving off a big yawn Dawn continued her original thought. "If you want her to see it as soon as possible just leave it in front of her door. She'll see it when she wakes up, it'll be almost impossible to miss."

Looking from Dawn back down at the gift Ash sighed a bit before setting it down on the table right next to her door. Adding a large note saying "To May" on it he could only hope that this would finally be able to cheer her up.

"And now I think I'll be following May's example by going to sleep," the coordinator said with yet another big yawn.

Turning back to her new boyfriend the coordinator gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading back to her own room with Buneary in tow.

"Goodnight Ash, see you in the morning."

A somewhat dumb smile made its way to Ash's face but he quickly shook it off before responding. "Night Dawn."

Sitting down on the couch Ash couldn't help but look back on the day and wonder how it actually became that memorable.

"Heh, well it looks as though I now have a girlfriend buddy," he said to Pikachu just staring up at the ceiling. "Even though it still feels weird calling Dawn that, I have to say that I had fun tonight, and for some reason I feel lighter than usual. Almost as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders." Shrugging slightly Ash got up and headed off to the bathroom to get ready for the night.

As his trainer was in the bathroom Pikachu was having a far tougher time as how to approach the subject of May. He knew that he wouldn't say anything about last night or the reasons behind it but he had to come up with a good enough explanation as to why he was deciding to leave his best friend. The thought of having to do such a thing pained him to no end but the responsibility of having a mate as well as the feeling of sadness from watching Eevee and May seemed to take precedent. He wanted to tell Pikapi everything that he could, the last thing that the Pokémon wanted was for his trainer to feel as though he was abandoning him due to a fault of his own.

Ash walked out of the bathroom in a pair of flannel night pants and a t-shirt to find Pikachu sitting on the couch with a disappointed look on his face.

"Hey buddy what's wrong?" He asked as he sat down next to his long time friend.

"Pika pika Pikachu Pikapi," Pikachu told him simply. Dancing around the issue would have gained nothing so he figured that he might as well get it over with.

"You're leaving tomorrow?" Ash almost laughed at the idea thinking that Pikachu was joking but seeing as how Pikachu turned away slightly after seeing his reaction Ash quickly figured out that this was no joke. "Okay then, there has to be some reason that you've decided this. And if you're willing to talk I'll hear you out."

Looking back up at his trainer Pikachu saw the sincerity in his eyes as he said those words and it made Pikachu feel somewhat at least less worried about the situation. Knowing that Pikapi still couldn't truly understand everything that he said Pikachu kept it as simple as possible. He explained most of what happened with him and the other two female Pokémon and only added in May to say that she had to leave tomorrow.

Even with the idea of losing Pikachu screaming inside of him Ash calmly listened to what his faithful partner had to say. Ash knew that if Pikachu was actually serious about leaving there had to be a good reason behind it. Even if he tried a few times to allow Pikachu to leave on his own accord it was always Pikachu who chose to stay, so suddenly wanting to leave was quite a shock. Yet as Pikachu explained everything to him the shock slowly faded as the realization as to why started to get pieced together.

"So let me get this straight," Ash began as Pikachu finished the last of his explanation. "This entire time Eevee and Buneary have been chasing after you almost like Dawn has been chasing after me, and just last night you chose Eevee as your mate. But seeing as how May is leaving tomorrow due to an emergency you want to stay with Eevee. Am I correct?"

Nodding once Pikachu could only look down in shame, he just asked the one human he was most faithful to if he could leave to protect someone else. Pikapi wasn't just his trainer he was also his best friend. They had been through so many difficulties it was nearly impossible to count, and these only strengthened their bond. Even to the point where Pikapi could actually understand what he was saying. He couldn't imagine the thoughts that were running through his trainer's head at this point and the only thing that he was fearing would be that Pikapi wouldn't allow him to leave. Choosing between him and Eevee was hard enough, having to actually force his way out of it would be too much for even him to handle.

"In that case how could I say no?"

Raising his eyes to meet his trainer's, Pikachu almost didn't believe his ears. Pikapi barely even gave it a second thought before answering. But the quickness in his decision almost felt painful in upon itself, almost as if Pikapi didn't care if he left.

"It's okay Pikachu," Ash told his partner while picking him up in his arms. "To be honest I don't want you to go. Every vision that I've had about becoming a Pokémon Master had you right at my side and that we would be together forever. But what kind of friend and trainer would I be if I didn't allow my Pokémon the one real request that he made to me after all these years? Not to mention that the request was because he wanted to start a family of his own."

Even though he could feel the tears coming Pikachu couldn't help but feel his face heat up a bit as Pikapi said that. That topic wasn't something that Ash would normally talk about openly so Pikachu naturally felt somewhat self-conscious about it as well, even if it seemed completely natural to him.

"Don't be ashamed about it Pikachu, you should be happy that you finally found someone. While I'm not entirely sure of what's happening between me and Dawn I feel that I know what you're going through. Of course I would have liked the Pokémon you chose to be one of Dawn's Pokémon, for obvious reasons, but I can't change how you feel, nor would I want to. You're my best friend and I only want to make sure that you are happy. It'll be different traveling without you but I know that you'll be in good hands with May and Eevee. But in return I only want to ask one thing of you, take care and protect the two of them. I know that it would be natural of you to do so with Eevee but do it with May as well. She is still my friend and I want you to treat her as you would me. So if this is the path that you have chosen then take it without looking back."

As he spoke the small electric Pokémon buried his face into the familiar arms of his trainer, trying his hardest to stay strong and not cry. Although his heart was breaking just as much as his partner's, Ash was also trying to stay strong, strong enough so that Pikachu wouldn't be burdened by guilt or remorse over his decision.

"Pikachu, I've never told this to anyone before but there was one thing that my father left for me, it was something he told my mom to tell me when I was just about to start my journey. And now I want to share it with you. 'Throw away your fears, look forward, step forward, and don't ever stop. You'll grow old if you step back so always look to the path before you.' I didn't understand what it meant when I first heard it, but as I traveled I began to piece it together. Don't let the past decisions you made burden your future, that's what I've come to believe and while I learn from my mistakes I've never regretted a single thing that I've done enough to want to somehow go back and change it. It's all a learning experience and each step brings a new challenge. It just looks as though your next step will be a step away from my path."

Pulling Pikachu in further Ash brought him into a firm hug. He could hear the Pokémon sniffling slightly but didn't let it phase him.

"I'll always remember you for everything that you've done for me over the years we've been together and there will never be anyone, human or Pokémon, that could take your place. You are a friend that comes around once in a lifetime and I'm glad to have been with you." It was at that point that Ash could feel his own eyes start to well up too. "Who am I kidding?" He finally said with a smile. "I'm making it sound as if we'll never see each other again. We'll see each other every time that May and I meet up, and besides maybe we can even convince her to let you and Eevee travel with us. But enough of this sad talk, we still have all of tomorrow together."

Feeling Pikachu nod into his chest Ash got up and turned off the lights before pulling the blanket over both of them. It wasn't long before Ash was fast asleep but Pikachu was having a little bit harder time than his trainer. While it was true that not seeing Pikapi again was unlikely, he didn't have the heart to tell him that, at least at the moment, it wasn't likely that Eevee would want to leave May or even that there was the possibility of him leaving before Pikapi woke up. But those seemed like minor details at that point. Pikachu felt relieved to tell his trainer what was going on, even if things could have gone a lot better. Pikapi's thoughts seemed to be taken right out of Pikachu's mouth, these times that they spent together would be something that he would never be able to forget, nor would he want to.

Finally relaxing as the warmth of Ash's body heat and the blanket made him feel comfortable, Pikachu feel asleep dreaming of the future to come.

* * *

Ash felt a little weird. The area around him was a dull mix of blacks and grays but he could just barely make out the shapes of the different objects around him. One object seemed to get bigger as it moved toward him. As it got closer the silhouette of a person began to form and he could make out their general body features but his eyes just couldn't focus enough to see who it was.

Opening his mouth to speak he found that it wouldn't open, nor did any sound escape his lips. He could only lay there and watch as the figure dropped down to his level. It was then that it started to talk in a fuzzy speech that while he was able to understand what they were saying it was impossible to know whose voice it was.

"I really enjoyed my time with you Ash," it told him. "I just hope that you can forgive me for what I have to do but I don't have much of a choice. You'll always be my first love and hold a special place in my heart."

Leaning down the figure seemed to hesitate a moment before kissing him on the cheek. It then quickly but quietly began to move away from him before fading back into the surroundings.

* * *

"Wait!"

Ash awoke with a start, and looking around it took a couple seconds to remember where he was. Bringing a hand to his cheek he could only wonder what that dream meant.

It was only then that he saw Eevee sprawled out on the ground, shaking her head as if to get her bearings. She quickly looked back at him with an annoyed face but as soon as she saw that he was awake the Evolution Pokémon quickly jumped onto the blankets and started to pull on the bottom of his shirt, the irritated look replaced by one of anxiety. It was at this point that Pikachu started to wake up with a big yawn and curiously looked over at his mate.

"Well good morning to you too Eevee," he said while looking at one of the clocks located in the room. It was still somewhat dark in the room with small rays of light just starting to peek through the curtains, but the digital lights clearly showed that it was just a little past seven. "What's with you this early in the morning? I know that May has some off training times but seeing as how we're on vacation I figured we could sleep in a bit more." Giving off a yawn Ash began to lay back down on the couch ready to go back to sleep for another hour or two but just as he got comfortable he felt Eevee beginning to pull on his shirt again.

"Not now Eevee," he responded while putting her down on the floor. "Go back to sleep, I'm sure May isn't even up yet."

Thinking that that would be the end of it he once again laid back to get comfortable only to find that this time the entire blanket was moving away from him. Opening his eyes he just caught the last bit as Eevee pulled the sheet completely off of him.

"Oh come on Eevee what is it?" He groggily asked looking back down at the small Normal-type. He noticed that Pikachu was carefully looking down at her as well but he couldn't figure out what she wanted. "I'm begging you, just another…"

"Vee!"

That last scream got the trainer's attention quickly. Now fully awake it was quite apparent that she was quite distressed about something. Not hearing another word out of her, she quickly bolted for May's room with Pikachu close behind. It was at that point that Ash really started to get worried. Getting up he followed the two of them to right outside of May's door, which was strangely open.

"May, are you awake?" He asked while knocking a couple time. After the only response coming from the two Pokémon who were in there Ash pushed the door open fully and walked into the room.

"I'm sorry for just barging in here like this but I was kinda worried about…" Ash stopped mid-sentence. There was something missing from the room, namely someone. As he got inside it was quickly apparent that not only was May not there but all of her belongings were gone as well. The only things left were a few items on one of the tables. Pikachu was sitting on the bed as Eevee was racing about the room from one corner to the other, looking in every possible location. Ash could see the tears starting to fall from her eyes as she ran back out of the room.

"What's all the noise about this early in the morning?"

Turning back to the door Ash saw Dawn standing there in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts, Buneary noticeably absent from her arms. If it wasn't for what was going on he would have burst out laughing at seeing her hair, after getting out of bed it was a complete mess with strands of it sticking every which way.

"The noise would be Eevee," he stated plainly.

"And what is she all worked up about?" Dawn asked as she moved aside for the small Pokémon making her way back into the room. "And on a similar note where is May?"

"I think that is the problem."

"Huh?"

Walking over to the table Ash found three things carefully laid out there; a long royal blue ribbon, a Pokéball, and a handwritten note on a large pad of the hotel's stationary. As he grabbed the note he could see Eevee plop herself down on the bed, both physically and mentally exhausted from the running. Pikachu was immediately jumping up onto the bed to be right next to her, trying to comfort his distraught mate. But even rubbing his cheeks against her and allowing some of the latent static charge to flow through her, which he noticed she seemed to like for some reason, didn't even cheer her up.

"_I wonder if May left already. And if Eevee is that worried she must not have told her anything about it. That doesn't seem like her at all."_ Ash thought to himself as he looked over at the two Pokémon.

"So what does the note say?" Dawn asked, moving into the room and taking a seat on the bed. "I can only assume that May was the one who wrote it, right?"

"Yeah this is her handwriting," Ash confirmed as he looked over the paper. The writing was blurred in a few places where the ink bled out, almost as if someone had dropped water on it, but he could make it out in its entirety without much problem. Opening up the shades to let in some more of the morning light Ash began to read it out loud.

_Dear Ash,_

_First of all I would like to say congratulations on you and Dawn getting together. I wish you both lots of luck in the coming months. From the moment I met her I knew that you two would make a great couple. And second I'm sorry but I had to leave in a bit of a rush. Yesterday my mom called me and notified me of a family emergency that I had to attend, so I was lucky enough to get a ticket on the first ferry off the island that was bound for Hoenn. I wish that I could have said this to you in person but time just wasn't all that lenient. You can use my room for the remainder of the vacation so you don't have to spend any more time sleeping on the couch._

_I know that this may sound a bit unreasonable, but I have a single request to make from you. As you may or may not know by this time, two nights ago our two Pokémon formed a relationship of their own. And due to my sudden departure I didn't want to tear them apart so soon after they started, so my only real option is to ask if you would look after Eevee for me. I'm not sure when the next time we meet will be so instead of just caring for her I also would like for you to add her to your team. You know firsthand that she has the potential to become a strong battler and I know that someone of your experience would be able to teach her well. I have left her Pokéball and the one ribbon I had with me on the table. I know that I can trust you above anyone else to protect and care for her as I would._

_I'm sorry if this is inconvenient for you but it was the best thing I could come up with on such short notice. Thank you for bringing me along with you on the vacation; it was fun to spend time with old friends, even if it was short lived. I wish you and Dawn lots of luck on your future tournaments and I'll be waiting for the next time that we can meet._

_Love,_

_ May_

_P.S. Thanks also for the gift, I'm in a bit of a rush now but I'll open it as soon as I get onto the ship._

"Kachu," Pikachu muttered under his breath as Ash finished reading the letter.

"Huh? Who's a liar?" Ash unconsciously asked, barely even catching what his partner said. Yet with that single word Ash noticed quite a change in Pikachu's normal tone. Not getting any response he shrugged it off and turned his attention back to what was in his hands.

"But still, that's rather strange," the trainer pondered as he looked over the note again. "It's not like May to leave so suddenly without even saying goodbye. It really must have been an emergency. But how did she find out about what happened between us last night?"

"Actually something else just doesn't make sense to me," Dawn tried to change the subject slightly while looking over at the two Pokémon on the bed. "If she was planning to leave Eevee here with you why was she running around earlier? It's almost as if May never actually said anything to her."

"I kinda know what you mean. Last night Pikachu told me that May was leaving today, but he told me that he and Eevee were going with her."

"Wait, she was going to take them with her?" Dawn asked, completely shocked at the idea of May taking Pikachu. "So what made her change her mind?"

"No clue, maybe it had something to do with the reason as to why she wasn't herself the last few days. I might be due to the fact that she just had a cold or one of her relatives wasn't doing well and that was…"

"Pi pika Pikapi!"

The room instantly fell silent as all eyes focused on Pikachu, who wasn't even looking at the humans. His attention was still on his mate. But for Ash there was another reason that Pikachu's outburst shocked him, it was not from his sudden cry but from what he said.

"W…wait, what did you just say Pikachu?" Ash gulped. "She…loved me?"

His trainer's ignorance to that topic had just hit the breaking point and even though he didn't want to reveal the things that May wanted to keep secret, it was the way Eevee had reacted after hearing that she was to be left with Ash and how it was sounding as though Pikapi was just waving everything off as some normal problem that made the Electric-type want to put a stop to it. Pikachu was starting to worry once the Normal-type stopped moving or even blinking. She was in a complete state of shock, and Pikachu could tell that this was far different from the other night.

As soon as Ash translated Pikachu's outburst Dawn could feel a wave of guilt start to rush through her as the realization hit her as to why May was acting different during their vacation.

"_She actually did love him,"_ Dawn told herself, looking back at Ash. _"All this time she really loved too but in the end only helped me get closer to him. Why would she do such a thing? If she really did feel the same way that I did she should have gone for what she wanted without caring about the consequences. But instead she went out of her way to allow me to be alone with him, giving me support the entire way. I can't help but feel as though it almost is as though I won over his heart by false pretenses."_

But while Dawn pieced together some of the rest of the puzzle Ash was taking it quite a bit harder.

"She loves me too? Then that means…I did it again," he said with a nervous laugh as he fell back into the chair. "You were right Dawn. You had the description dead on."

His comment not only snapped her out of her thoughts but also caught her slightly off guard. "Right about what?" She tentatively asked.

"I really am nothing more than a dense idiot."

She could tell that he was dead serious as he spoke those words. "Ash, you know that I was just joking when I said that right?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't change the fact that it is the truth. This is the second time I didn't realize that one of my friends felt more for me than just friendship. And once again I've hurt one of my closest companions due to my own denseness."

"Second time? You mean…"

"Yeah, Misty. Looking back on everything it was so obvious that I don't know how I could have missed it but at the time I was just as oblivious. I knew that she was taking it hard when we separated but I only thought it was for the same reason that I didn't want them to leave. In the end my ignorance only made it worse, and it was because of that ignorance that now I've hurt May as well. I can only imagine that she is taking this even worse than Misty did. Did you know that she looked up to me as a mentor? The one friend she could always fall back on when she needed help?"

"Ash…" Dawn couldn't stand seeing him like that. He was closer to May then she even realized and she felt slightly jealous of it. She was just as new to this relationship thing as Ash was so she had no clue as to how to help him, so she did the first thing that came to mind. Walking up behind him the blunette put her arms around the distressed trainer.

"It's alright," she told him. "It's not your fault, and never was. May chose not to say anything and she knew that it wouldn't be an easy path to follow."

Seeing that her words weren't helping the coordinator noticed something that both of them had nearly forgotten about.

"And while this may sound rude but compared to her I don't think that you have a right to be depressed."

Finally looking up Ash saw exactly who she meant. From the moment he had read the letter until then he was only thinking about how much pain that he probably had put May through, but the pain that Eevee was feeling was quite evident. Even with the minutes of nurturing from Pikachu she still hadn't moved an inch nor made a sound.

"I won't say anything about how you choose to deal with May's feelings," Dawn said as her voice cracked slightly. "But from what I could tell Eevee's bond with May is similar to yours and Pikachu's. Leaving her here without telling her, even if it was with the best intentions in mind, had to have been a big shock for the poor thing."

Seeing that Ash was starting to realize what she was saying Dawn got up and started to walk over to Eevee.

"Don't worry Eevee. Just as May asked, Ash and I will take care of you until we meet up with her again. I'm sure that she only had you at mind when she made her decision."

Dawn noticed as she got closer that Eevee's ears twitched slightly but thought nothing of it until she got only a pace or two away from the distraught Pokémon. As the blunette got closer Eevee's demeanor changed in an instant. With a sudden hiss she sprang back to life, eyes glowing a bright white as all the fur on her back stood on end. She had her head and tail down low, teeth bared and growling quite menacingly at the coordinator.

Everyone in the room jumped back a bit at the sudden change in the normally docile Pokémon. Even Pikachu, who thought that he was beginning to understand her better after their night together, was caught off guard. He was even starting to question whether or not to approach his mate again while she was like this.

It was all her fault. That was the thought running through Eevee's mind as she continued to hiss as the blunette. If it wasn't for her, her mother wouldn't have abandoned her here and they would still be together. Eevee knew that she needed to get to her mother's side at any cost, if she wasn't there for her who would be? She needed to find her so that she could be there to protect her. It was the one vow she would never let herself break and no blue-haired devil would get in her way.

Noticing the hesitation in everyone's eyes Eevee quickly made a bolt for the door in an effort to find her mother. Unfortunately for her Ash was quick to his feet and promptly scooped her up in his arms, holding her firmly but gently. Struggling, the Evolution Pokémon hissed again, trying to get out of his grasp.

"Eevee please calm down, I know you probably want to go to May's side right now but she isn't here. The ferries started hours ago and she's probably not even on the island anymore."

Ash let out stifled cry of pain as he felt Eevee's small, but sharp, teeth dig into his arm. Dawn couldn't help but let out a small gasp as some of his blood started to flow from the wound and trail down his arm.

"_Why did it have to be him?"_ Eevee asked herself as she bit down harder. _"He hurt her just as much as the blue-haired devil did. My mother cared for him so much and in the end he repaid her with nothing but pain. I had to watch as she cried her heart out, and it was all his fault that she had to deal with that. I don't want to be with him or anyone else! I want it back like it was before, just the two of us. Back when she was still happy."_

Trying to ignore the pain Ash continued on in the calmest voice he could muster. "I'm sorry for everything that I've done; I'm sorrier than I've ever been about anything before. I just wish I could say that to May in person. I can't even begin to imagine what must be going through her mind, and it makes me feel even worse knowing that that I was the one who did that to her. I can't make excuses for what happened but I don't want my friends to be hurt and I'll do anything to make sure that that happens. Right now the only way I can help May is to accept her request, I'll take care of you Eevee; at least until we meet up with her again. If I know her, it was an exceptionally hard choice to leave you behind but she took in that pain as well just so that you could be happy. If you keep only worrying about May then what will be the point of her making a sacrifice so that you could be happy?"

Even if she didn't want to, Eevee couldn't help but hear everything that Ash said, and it was the last part that made her finally stop to think. May sacrificed some more of her own happiness just so that at least Eevee could be with the one who she cared for. She always put her friends first and was only interested in making sure that they stayed happy, if May had to endure some pain to see it happen she would do it without a second thought. That was one thing that Eevee knew for a fact. Although she didn't originally want to admit it, she knew that her mother didn't abandon her. It was just that the thought was so much easier to accept than she was the one to cause her mother even more pain by staying with her new mate and his trainer.

His trainer… The one that her mother cared for more than any other human. The same person she had just willingly hurt. Guilt and shame flooded through her small body as the Normal-type released her grip from Ash's arm just to just burry her head into his chest and cry. It wasn't as comfortable as her mother's chest but now that she was thinking clearly again she could feel the same sense of safety and security that before she had only associated with her mother.

After Eevee let go of his arm, Ash made no attempt to cover up his wound. The small Pokémon was crying heavily in his arms and all he did was sit back down into the chair and let her pour everything out.

"_Dawn was right,"_ he thought to himself as he looked at the small seemingly helpless bundle that he was holding. _"Eevee did have a much harder time with this than me. I at least knew that Pikachu would probably be leaving today but her…"_

Dawn was still a little tentative about approaching the Evolution Pokémon again but Pikachu didn't even need a second thought. As soon as Eevee calmed down he was already heading up towards them and by the time Ash sat back down on the chair, his loyal partner was sitting on his lap, watching over not only him but his mate as well.

"I really am sorry Eevee," he whispered again to the Pokémon in his arms. "I promise to take as good of care of you as May would, you have my word. Just remember that I do not want to replace her but I hope that you at least allow me to start to gain your trust again."

Looking up at him with tear-filled eyes Eevee made no sound but only turned and started to lick his arm, trying to clean up the damage that she caused. He may not be her mother but if this was her wish than Eevee was not one to disobey it. No matter how much pain he caused her, Eevee would protect him with the same effort that she would her mother. It would only make her mother sadder to see him hurt and that was the last thing that she would ever want.

"How's your arm?" Dawn asked, still carefully watching every one of Eevee's actions.

"It should be fine. She bit down pretty hard but it's nothing that won't heal," the trainer told her while starting to pet the Normal-type with his undamaged arm. "I kinda feel like I deserved it anyways."

"Well I'm just glad that situation has been cleared up." Finding no reason to be scared anymore, Dawn began to approach her boyfriend and the two Pokémon. But she stopped dead in her tracks as Eevee's eyes instantly began to glow a vivid white again, the Evolution Pokémon's glare piercing right through the blunette even if there was no other signs of hostility.

"Or maybe we still have a bit more to work on," she added with a nervous laugh as she took another step back. "May was right about one thing, I doubt that many battlers will consider themselves lucky fighting against her."

* * *

A melodic tone sounded out across the water as the sun was just beginning to get low to the horizon.

"Attention passengers," a voice began as the tone faded out. "Firstly we would like to thank you for choosing Oceanaire Transport as your provider on this wonderful evening. We are expecting to arrive at the Canalave City Port on time at 8:00 tomorrow morning. In the meantime we would like to invite you to enjoy the buffet dinner currently being served in the dining room. Please relax and enjoy the rest of your trip."

Many of the people that were standing on the deck watching the sunset headed inside the ship but there was one who still remained where she was.

The brunette gave a long sigh as she watched the great globe of light descend lower and lower. It was about twelve hours since she had left her friends and grabbed the first ferry that she could find heading to Sinnoh. But the only way that her mind was interpreting it was that it had been twelve hours since she had left Ash and Eevee. Standing on the deck she finally realized that for the first time since a little after her and Ash went their separate ways after Kanto, she was alone with no one to talk to.

"Looks like it's just going to be the start of another new adventure," she told herself, trying to tone down what had happened. "It's a good thing that I called Gary last night and asked him to send me Blaziken before I left. That way I can get a completely fresh start; all new Pokémon, new location, new contests, and new friends."

But as she mentioned the last one her mind fell onto only one person.

"And hopefully one of those friends will take my mind off of you," she whispered. "If only for a while."

"_I just hope that Eevee isn't too mad at me. I just tried to make the best out of the situation so that everyone could obtain their own happiness. If I took Pikachu with me it would only make Ash sad, or worse, mad at me. She won't be one to take it too easy but in the end it was the best option. I just hope that she doesn't give Ash and Pikachu too much trouble."_

Feeling the tears starting to come May quickly wiped them away before turning to head inside. But as she did she felt a large lump in her pack that she didn't remember normally being there. Looking in the bag she found a small box wrapped in red paper and a blue ribbon.

In her rush to get away from the island May had completely forgotten about the gift that she had found on the table that was labeled for her. Wondering what the heck it was she finally opened the box to reveal packaging paper and a handwritten note. The coordinator couldn't help but smile a bit as she recognized Ash's sloppy writing. But even in that state she could easily read it.

_May, I know that there has been something on your mind that has been bothering you as of late so I decided to find a small gift to at least help you out of it. It isn't much but I hope that you like it._

_Your friend,_

_Ash_

Friend. That one word seemed almost too complex for her when she thought of Ash. But knowing that he had noticed her trouble, even if he didn't know the reasons, made her happy.

Unwrapping the paper that surrounded the present, May's eyes lit up as she saw what it contained. It was a beautiful crystal statuette of a Pikachu, looking as if it was ready to play with the person holding it.

"It's wonderful," she found herself saying as she turned the small figurine around in her hands. It was amazing craftsmanship and virtually flawless in every aspect. But her happiness was somewhat short lived as the small pessimistic voice came back to her mind.

"_Yes it's amazing but in the end it's just another thing that will remind you of him, and in the end all the pain that you went through as well."_

That one thought completely changed her mood as the horrifying night came back to her in unimaginable detail. Every feeling, every thought; seemingly forever burned into her mind. The very notion made her shudder as she quickly grasped her arms together in front of herself.

"_No, not again. That's why I wanted to leave, to get away from this pain."_

Looking back at the small Pikachu, May quickly pulled her arm back to throw it over the railing and into the ocean, but at the very last moment she stopped. Even if it brought back all the horrible memories of that night it was also bringing back everything that she had ever shared with Ash, just like her ribbon did. And even if she didn't want to be hurt by those thoughts anymore, she just could bring herself to throw away a gift that Ash had gotten specifically for her.

"_The greatest happiness is to see the one you like the most stay happy, right Mom?"_ The brunette asked herself as she looked down at the figurine again. _"I understand that it won't happen right away but I know that I've made the right choice. As long as he's happy I shouldn't have any doubts. And knowing that he has both Eevee and the other half of our ribbon is good enough to hope that he'll never forget me and the times that we shared. Cause I for one know that I'll never forget him."_

Looking back out across the horizon May could just start to see the moon peaking through the last bit of light that the now unseen sun was casting. It was the same brilliant crescent moon from last night. They may not have been happy memories but nonetheless they were memories of the first boy to steal her heart, and she decided that good or bad she would treasure every one of them.

* * *

Well I hope that it wasn't too bad for my first try at a shipping other than my usual. Not to mention I always feel rusty after not having written in a while. I would like to thank four of my friends who gave me some input as to which way to end this; Cascade88, Gigiaten, Matkin22, and Zeaeevee. I've never asked for advice on how to write one of my stories before, outside of the reviews that I receive, but considering that there were literally five different endings that I could have focused on, each with its own unique set of emotions driving it, I couldn't figure out which would work best.

Either way I hope that you all enjoyed reading this, and I look forward to hearing from all of you in your reviews.


End file.
